The term "gullet" is used to designate the esophagus, and in cattle, when the gullet is cut during the slaughtering process, any plant matter that was being digested therein is then ejected, thereby spilling out and soiling the meat.
It is therefore important to be able to discharge into the rumen of the carcass any plant matter that was to be found in the gullet at the moment of slaughter and to close off the gullet as close as possible to the rumen.
Clips for ligating the gullet are already known, which clips are constituted by a kind of clamp which is placed on the gullet of a carcass to avoid soiling the meat when it is eviscerated.
Such a clamp is put into place as follows.
With the slaughtered carcass suspended head down, its throat is incised vertically to reach the gullet which is then taken hold of, and a segment thereof is extracted from the throat.
A split ring is engaged around the gullet and is slid up the gullet to the vicinity of the rumen so as to separate the gullet from all of the ligaments that are attached thereto, after which the ring is brought back down to the end of the gullet and then to the throat.
A ligature clamp is then placed on the gullet and is slid along the gullet up to the rumen.